Finishing Up 2024

2024 is coming to an end (or is over by the time you are probably reading this).  I would say that by my normal standards in the sporting world, I came into and left 2024 without really having goals I was working towards. That isn't to say I didn't enjoy getting out and working hard, but I just didn't feel the pull of anything specific. Instead I just allowed the year to come to me, occasionally finding mini goals along the way to chase.

Look over there! No goals!

I did want to make sure to get some running in away from home and with 2 other parkruns in the province, I made sure to get to them. The Butter Trail in Tatamagouche is a fun one that is dead flat and on crusher dust.  The bonus is when you are done you get pop into the farmer's market for some great local treats. 

The girls wanted some adventures as well, so we made sure to get them out of the house and into the wild. Even when they didn't know it was what they wanted.

I formed a relationship with New World Marketing and got to sample many of the products they represent, which includes On running gear, Darntough socks and Knock Around Sunglasses. All are carried by local companies. It is fun to try out products and give feedback to the reps as well as to local stores that are planning on carrying these products. Over the years I have become very fond of the On running shoes and was more than happy to oblige with the feedback. The On CloudSurfer Trail in this photo was probably my shoe of the year. A little road, a little trail, and amazing so far this winter for a little extra grip. It is easy to pick a supershoe, but I am more a fan of the every day workhorse shoes. 

Some days we had rain, some days it was a lot. 

The kids grow up fast, which ones are the parents? Who knows! Well I know, it is easy to tell when you pop into the heard. 

It was the second annual Cinnamon Bun Run hosted by the 5K Cafe. You coudl choose 3 or 5K run options. I came back to defend my 5K win from last year. While my time wasn't quite as fast, I did finish well under 18 mins and with a second win in a row. 

The end of September brought the Rum Runners Relay back. I opted to return to a Leg I ran very long ago. Leg 10! Though now Leg 10 was slightly different and mostly on crusher dust. At a little over 11 km long it was going to be hard and fast. It started with a crazy steep climb that was book ended with a sweeping downhill finish. I had a great initial battle with a Slow Ships runner, then with Kyle, and eventually came in third overall for the stage with a PB in the 10k distance in my 11km run (and yes, that included the uphill start). The 50 year old legs were still running.

Instead of racing (again I had few goals this year) I opted to pace bunny the half marathon at the Valley Harvest Marathon Weekend. Pacing is awesome and people get so happy to have someone get them to their finish in a PB time. I ran the 1:30 half marathon and had at least 10 people with me most of the time, most finishing under 1:30 (I ran a 1:29:58).

A quick stop at the finish line and I found Colin starting his second loop of the marathon. So I tagged along. And just like that I somehow ran an accidental marathon. We got Colin to the finish line in a great time so he could soak up all the accolades. I was happy to know my legs had some oomph left in them after that.

As the Fall weather cools, it becomes canicross season. I hosted the Long Lake Lap Dog event and it was a blast as we raised money towards the Disaster Animal Response Team of Nova Scotia.

Look at this cute dude

I didn't get to race this Fall, but I did get some time on feet with my best boy Kona. 

Movember came and so did my antics in raising funds for Men's Health. 

And my 13th annual Movember 6K Run in Point Pleasant Park. Between this event and friends and family, I raised almost $5000 and over $7000 for my and Mike's Team, Mo With the Flow. 

Another road trip lead to the 100th parkrun in Truro at Victoria Park. A huge group of BLT Runners made the trek up and the weather was great. I had one of my fastest 5Ks of the year! 

Winter hiking can be cold. 

Each Christmas the BLT Runners hosts the Christmas Marathon to stay active over the holidays. We tried to also host our Miracle Mile race but the weather kept preventing that. Regardless many runners achieved some great results staying active.  

My goal was to try and take advantage of the increased mileage I started doing as I prep my training for next year's 100 Mile effort. So I thought I would use this opportunity to try and get my first ever 100 mile week. I achieve it in 7 days, hitting 162 miles on feet with an avg pace of 5:33 min/km. I was happy to not only get that total done, but also feel pretty good at the end. I wasn't injured, hobbling or over tired. This bodes well for my upcoming training. 

In fact when counting my daily steps in addition to my running, I was at an all time high of 187.4 km travelled over the past 7 days. 

In terms of yearly mileage, it was my second biggest year of pure running at 3298.5 km (unless I go back outside) but also 1931.4 km of hiking / power walking. This is also looking good for the 100 miler as I know there will be lots of times were power hiking will be a key strategy. 

Boom Pow and welcome to 2025!